


home is where the heart is (so baby don't go anywhere)

by softspoken



Series: the future series [1]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: AU sort of, Alternate Universe - Future, Angst, Future Fic, M/M, Science Fiction, about the edits, future!louis fic lol, incase you havent theres a pic, ive been told its angsty, we've all seen them
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-29
Updated: 2013-05-29
Packaged: 2017-12-13 08:09:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/821978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softspoken/pseuds/softspoken
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a chat with his future self, 18 year old Louis Tomlinson finds it a bit hard to believe in anything.</p><p>-OR-</p><p>Based on this edit: http://media.tumblr.com/8bc002d70e0d765c3a9e12f78b54f525/tumblr_inline_mnjdriViIi1qz4rgp.png</p>
            </blockquote>





	home is where the heart is (so baby don't go anywhere)

**Author's Note:**

> credit to some parts to: https://twitter.com/twinklezarry/status/339212609834319872  
> and  
> http://madlytrulylarry.tumblr.com/post/51606807661/take-care-of-him-ok-who-harry

The sky was orange and pink, kissed with brushes of red. Clouds danced in the sky, and the sun was just peeking over the hills, gracing the world with its presence. There were birds chirping, making everything seem stupidly cheery and happy, when it was not.

Today was not a happy day.

They’d just done rehearsals and 18 year old Louis was feeling a bit insecure about the future. No matter how hard he worked, how hard they worked, nothing seemed good enough. Nothing seemed perfect enough. He didn’t know about the future anymore. Would he and the boys make it? Or would they be a pump and dump band? He didn't want that.

He had to know.

Thus, he went out and found an old woman in an alley and bought a phone from her that she insisted could take him to the future. It was shady, he had to admit, but he was feeling bad, and money wasn't really an issue.

So, when he was sat on his bed in his room in Simon’s house, alone, he used the phone and dialed his own number, just to see what happened. Imagine his surprise when he heard his own voice answer on the other end. Be it a bit huskier and more mature, but it was undeniably him.

"'lo?'

Young Louis gaped a little, unsure of what to say. He was just about to respond when he felt a gust of warm air coming from the receiver.  He pulled the phone from away from his head and saw small sparkles flying in the wind. The small gusts turned to waves and the waves turned into a right tornado. The wind pulled him in and he spun and spun and spun until he fell and hit the hard floor.

He groaned in pain and sat up, rubbing the back of his sore head. He glanced around, seeing he was obviously not in his room anymore. He paused when he saw a pair of legs standing in front of him. His eyes trailed up, only to meet blue eyes he was so used to seeing in the mirror. They were older, tired, a bit of the light gone, but they were his.

"Who are you?" He heard the same voice from the phone ask him. 

He gazed at his older self, taking in the styled quiff and the morning stubble on his face. This was him, there was no denying it.

So, the phone worked. He still had the phone in his hand, so he stuffed it into his pocket, before responding to his older self.

"I'm you," Young Louis said.

"No, you're not. I'm me," Older Louis stated.

After convincing his older self that he was really his younger self (isn’t that a mouthful), they were sitting in Older Louis’s living room, bantering and laughing in no time.  

Young Louis was enamored with his older self. He was quite pleased on how he turned out. He was still as mischievous as he was three years ago, if not more. He hadn't grown up as much as he thought he would have. Older Louis wasn't too different than how he was when he was young.

"So, what are we like in the future? The band I mean. Do we make it?" Young Louis asked.

"Oh, mate. You have  _no_  idea," Older Louis grinned at him.

"What's that mean?"

"Well, we just announced a world-wide stadium tour, so I think we're doing pretty well."

Younger Louis choked a bit on air. 

World-wide stadium tour.

Wow.

"Wow," he said.

"Yeah, mate. I know."

"How, like, do we win the X-factor?" Younger Louis asked.

Older Louis stopped to think for a moment. "Should I tell you? Like, just sat here, talking to you, aren't there supposed to be black holes ripping in the universe?"

Younger Louis shrugged. "Well, nothing's happened yet, so I suppose we're fine. Tell me!”

“Nah, mate. Where’s the fun in that? If you already know what’s going to happen, you won’t be as surprised,” Older Louis said. “Plus, it wouldn’t be fair to the other boys.”

“Alright, fine,” Younger Louis pouted, bottom lip stuck out, arms crossed.

“Jesus Christ, I did look like a lesbian,” Older Louis blurted out.

“Hey!” Younger Louis yelled. “I do _not_ look like a lesbian.”

“Yes, you do,” Older Louis said. “But at least you turn into a stud.”

“Well, aren’t we full of ourselves,” Young Louis teased.

“Yes, we are. Now, do you have any other questions?”

Younger Louis hummed, racking through his brain to find something else to ask. There were loads of things, like, do they sell out stadiums, win awards, have a platinum album, make it in America, do all their dreams come true, but Young Louis knew himself well, and he knew he wouldn’t answer those.

Everything he wanted to ask could spoil a moment for him; make it seem less exciting if he knew it was going to happen.

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers.

So he settled on something simple, yet meaningful.

“How’s Harry?”

Older Louis paused for a moment, as if he didn’t expect that. He shifted in his seat, before saying, “Wouldn’t know. Don’t see him much anymore.”

Younger Louis froze. What? He 'd just seen his own Harry a few hours prior for some tea and morning telly. He couldn’t imagine not seeing Harry.

So, like, what?

“What happened?”

“You’ll find out soon enough, buddy,” Older Louis responded, coldly. He seemed far away and sad. Younger Louis didn’t like that. He’d been sad enough lately, he didn’t want to be sad in the future. Harry made it a bit bearable. But according to his older self, Harry wasn’t around anymore.

Imagine how sad he was now, or _would_ be.

He wanted to ask again, push to find out what happened so he could avoid that in the future, but he knew himself well. And he knew he wouldn’t answer.

Spoiler, spoilers, spoilers.

He wondered what the other boys looked like now. Like he knew Zayn would probably be a tatted up bad boy, it was only a matter of time, but what about Liam and Niall? Or Harry?

What did 16 year old, baby faced Harry turn into?

He supposed he could ask to see a picture or something, but spoilers. He’d much rather watch Harry grow up with his own two eyes than see a picture and spoil everything.

They sat in silence for a while, both just thinking, when the phone rang. Young Louis’s phone. He pulled it from his pocket, where he’d placed it before, to see the screen flashing, _Home._

“I suppose if I answer, I’ll be gone,” Young Louis said.

Older Louis looked up and smiled sadly. “This was nice. We should do this more often,” he joked.

“We should,” Young Louis grinned. “Anything I should know before I go?”

Older Louis stood up and wrapped his arms around his younger self. “No matter what happens, just know that you’ll always have a home, even if that home goes away for a while. It’ll always come back.”

Younger Louis hugged him back, “What the hell does that even mean?”

“Home is where the heart is,” Older Louis grinned.

“I-what?”

“You’ll see. Soon, alright?” Older Louis laughed and they pulled apart. He gave his younger self a one over and grinned from ear to ear. “I think we turned out quite well, don’t you?”

“Definitely,” Young Louis replied. “Mum will be proud.”

Older Louis laughed and clapped him on the back once before letting him go. Young Louis stood in the middle of the room, thumb hovering over the ‘answer’ button.

He turned to himself and said, “Stay safe, yeah? I don’t fancy dying before I’m thirty.”

“Yeah, alright,” Older Louis chuckled.

Young Louis smiled in response and pressed ‘answer.’ The wind came back, small bursts with tiny bits of shiny glitter.

He glanced back at his older self, taking himself in one last time. He was pleased with how he turned out in the future. He’d hoped he’d be a bit happier, but he was glad he and the boys didn’t become a dead beat band going nowhere.

 Older Louis hesitated for a second before, “Take care of him, ok?”

“Who?” Young Louis furrowed his eyebrows, confused. The wind spun around him, wrecking his hair and fluttering through his clothes.

“Harry.”

“Of course I will. He’s my frien-“

“No,” Older Louis interrupted. “He’s gonna become so much more than that.”

“What’s that mean?” Younger Louis was even more puzzled now.

“Spoilers,” Older Louis grinned, waving at him as the wind surrounded him and took him away.

He hit the ground with an ‘oof’ and aching knees. He looked around, glad to see he was back in his own room at Simon’s house.

“Hey,” he heard from behind him. He jumped, a bit startled, and turned to see a wide-eyed Harry with a phone in his hands.

“Hey,” Louis replied weakly. “What, what are you doing here?”

“I was looking for you and I came up and you weren’t here so I phoned you and it got all windy and sparkly and then you just appeared out of thin air and I dunno what’s happening!“ Harry rambled.

“Harry, calm down. Everything’s fine!” Louis exclaimed. “Come. Sit,” he gestured towards the bed.

Harry nodded weakly and sat, looking up at him with wide eyes. His cherub baby face and massive eyes made him look like a child and Louis had to bite the inside of his cheek to suppress a smile.

“What was that, Lou?” Harry asked.

Louis just smiled at him and said, “Everything’s alright.  That was nothing, ok?”

“But-“

“Okay?” Louis repeated.

Harry sighed and nodded.

“So, you phoned me?” Louis asked. But the phone had said _Home_ not _Harry._

“Yeah, but you didn’t answer for a bit and I was about to hang up when it got all windy and then you-“

“Harry!” Louis grabbed the cherub face in his hands and stared him in the eyes. “Everything’s fine. Alright? You trust me, yeah?”

Harry nodded.

“Then take my word for it."

Harry nodded again.

“So, you phoned me,” Louis stated to himself rather than Harry. But the phone had said _Home_ and Harry obviously wasn’t home.

_Home is where the heart is._

Oh.

 _Oh,_ Louis thought. Holy shit.

So that’s what-

“Hey, Louis?” Harry interrupted his train of thought

“Yeah?”

“Do you think we’ll always be friends?”

Louis looked at him, surprised. “What’s brought this on?”

Harry shrugged. “I dunno. Was just thinking.”

“Hm. Well, I’d like to think we’ll be,” Louis replied.

“But, can you guarantee it?” Harry sighed and leaned back onto the bed, arms behind his head.

Louis lay down next to him, letting everything sink in for a moment. He’d just met his future self, who told him his best friend wasn’t around much in the future, and now he was back in his own time, lying next to said best friend.

So, like, yeah.

He closed his eyes, relaxing into the bed, before saying, “Yes.”

He could feel Harry’s eyes on him, but he kept his shut, just taking a moment for himself.

“How?” Harry asked beside him.

Louis breathed in and out and in and out and in and out because like, how. How, indeed. From what future Louis told him, the answer probably should have been no, but who would want to say that to cherub faced 16 year old Harry Styles?

Not Louis, that’s who.

He breathed in again, holding the breath for a few seconds before breathing out. He supposed he should answer Harry, but, like, how. He can’t guarantee anything. So he just said, “Spoilers.”

“What spoilers?”

“I dunno. Just seemed the right thing to say,” Louis shrugged.

“Weirdo.”

“Mop head.”

“Hey! My hair’s not a mop,” Harry said, hands going through his hair as if to check.

“I know. I was kidding. Everyone love the curls,” Louis grinned, eyes still closed.

“Open your eyes,” Harry said.

“Why?”

“Just,” Harry maneuvered himself so he was straddling Louis’ waist. He leaned down; face mere inches from Louis’s. “Open your eyes,” he repeated, breath ghosting over Louis’s mouth.

Louis complied, opening his eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey,” Harry replied. He brought his hands up to caress Louis’s cheek, thumb rubbing across the cheekbone.

“What’re you doing?”

“Dunno.”

Louis hummed, shutting his eyes again, letting Harry touch his face.

“No, open your eyes,” Harry whined, pulled Louis’s eyelids up himself. Louis frowned and slapped his hand away, keeping his eyes shut.

“Why?”

“It makes me antsy,” Harry whined, moving his hand to Louis’s neck, thumb resting on his Adam’s apple.

“Antsy?” Louis asked, voice rumbling a bit from the pressure on his throat.

“I don’t like not being able to see your eyes,” Harry said.

Louis opened his eyes, staring up at Harry.

This was strangely intimate, even for them. He was used to the touches that lasted a bit too long, the looks that never strayed from his direction, the smile only he ever got to see.

But this was a new level.

It was more affectionate, less friendly.

“What’re you doing, Harry?” Louis asked again.

“I would quite like to kiss you right now,” Harry replied, gazing at Louis’s lips with half lidded eyes. He ran his thumb down the base of Louis’s throat, pressing where it hollowed out in the middle.

Louis breathed in. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Harry breathed out.

“You should.”

“Should I?” Harry questioned. He ran his thumbs over his collarbones, leaning down and licking the sternum.

“Yes,” Louis urged.

“But, I think we’d end up snogging, don’t you?”

“Maybe. But that’s sort of the point isn’t it?”

“Maybe. But I think it’d end up more than that,” Harry said. He ran his hands down Louis’ chest, pausing at the nipple, and pressing down on it.

Louis let out a whimper and shut his eyes again, feeling his face flush. “What do you mean by that?”

Harry looked up at him and grinned, looking less and less like a 16 year old boy by the second. He leaned down, hands pressing just against Louis’ collarbones, and whispered in his ear, letting his breath out heavily. “Spoilers.”

Harry laughed in his ear and Louis’ eyes shot open. “Not funny,” he grumbled.

“Yes, it was!” Harry cackled. “You should have seen your face!”

“You fucking twat,” Louis grumbled, he reached for his pillow and smacked Harry in the face with it.

“That’s what you get, Mr. ‘Spoilers’,” Harry gestured with his fingers.

Louis hit him with the pillow again, right in the mouth.

Harry spluttered, getting off of Louis and rubbing his mouth. “You still deserved that,” he grinned.

Louis stood up and threw the pillow at Harry, who ran out of the room before it could hit him.

Louis sighed and fell onto his bed again. “Spoilers,” he mimicked in a high pitched voice.

-

When they went out of the X-Factor, Harry couldn’t stop crying.

He was crying on Louis’s shoulder, Louis’s arms wrapped around his waist and hands rubbing his back in a soothing comfort.

“We’ll be fine, Harry. Perfectly fine,” Louis kept saying to him.

“No, we won’t. We’ll have to go home, Louis!” Harry pulled away from him, wet eyes and pink cheeks. He looked more like a child now than ever before. “You’ll be in Doncaster and I’ll be back in Cheshire and Niall will be back in Ireland and,” Harry wiped his eyes with shaking hands. “And none of us will ever see each other again!”

“We’ll be alright, Harry. I promise,” Louis pulled him back into his arms and Harry clutched onto him for dear life.

“How do you know? Harry mumbled into his shoulder.

Louis tightened his grip on his Harry, and whispered in his ear. “Spoilers.”

-

It happened about a month after that.

They were on the X-Factor tour, in someplace Louis didn’t know the name of. They were sat in the hotel balcony, he and Harry, sipping tea. They were sitting on the balcony chairs, placed right next to each other, a table in front of them.

They had talked about moving in together for a while now, so it was only logical that they share a hotel room. As a trial run of sorts.

Anyway, they were sipping tea, just looking out into the dark street. The night sky was blessed with thousands of stars and Louis felt like he could just go up and shine with them.

So long as Harry came with him of course.

But sipping his tea with Harry made Louis think. He still remembered what his future self had told him.

_Home is where the heart is._

And it was no secret that his heart lay with Harry.

So, Harry was his home.

But there was also, _“No matter what happens, just know that you’ll always have a home, even if that home goes away for a while. It’ll always come back.”_

Where was Harry going? Louis hoped it wasn’t far, he probably couldn’t take that.

“Hey Harry?”

“Hm?”

“Would you ever leave me?”

Harry paused mid-sip. “What?”

“Like, do you think that one day you’d just get sick of me and leave?” Louis didn’t look at him, he didn’t want to. He set down his cup on the table and stared up at the sky. “I mean, too much time with one person is never a good thing.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be sick of you,” Harry said. “So, I think you’re stuck with me.”

“Good,” Louis glanced over at him, startled to see Harry was just a few inches from his face.

“Yeah?” Harry said, leaning in, breath hitting Louis’s lips.

“Yeah,” Louis replied. He leaned in, lips brushing together gently, a barely-there touch on his lips, a slight hesitation before their lips pressed together. They melded together, wet and just a little sloppily, but passionate, nonetheless.

They pulled apart, both of their lips slightly pink. Harry kept his hand on Louis’ cheek, thumbing at the hairline.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Harry said, leaning in to press their foreheads togehter.

“Can you guarantee that?” Louis asked.

“Yes,” Harry said simply, rubbing their noses together.

“How?” Louis asked, despite knowing full well what Harry would say.

Harry grinned, pressing a firm kiss to Louis’ lips. “Spoilers.”

They just sat there for a bit, hand in hand, watching the stars shimmer in the sky.

Louis supposed he should treasure what he had now instead of worrying about the future. He turned to look at Harry, only to catch Harry staring at him. They grinned at each other and Harry leaned in to press a kiss to his cheek.

“What’re you thinking about?” Harry asked.

“Just, everything, I suppose,” Louis replied.

“Everything will be fine,” Harry said, tightening his grip on Louis’s hand. “I promise.”

Louis hummed in response, shutting his eyes and leaning back on the chair, breathing in the crisp air.

They sat in silence again, but neither of them minded. It was the best kind of silence.

Before they knew it, the fiery colors of the setting sun melted into a moonlit, star studded canvas. Louis bid adieu to the stars silently.  

“Do you want to go in?” Harry asked, gesturing inside. Louis shook his head.

“No, I think I’ll just sit for a bit.”

Harry nodded, pressing a kiss to Louis’ forehead, before heading inside.

Louis sat out for a while, breathing in cold air and rubbing his cold hands together. He couldn’t stop thinking. Harry was his home, yeah? And Harry said he’d never leave. But future Louis kept barging into his brain.

Home is where the heart is.

And Harry wasn’t going anywhere.

Except maybe he would.

And that’s what scared Louis.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I KNOW I JUST ENDED IT LIKE THAT LOL BUT ITS 3AM AND I DIDNT KOW HOW TO END IT
> 
> i apologize for the errors.
> 
> and yes i was a little too inspired by a one ms. river song but oh well.
> 
> uuuh ?s?e?q?u?e?l? ?c?o?m?i?n?g? ?s?o?o?n?


End file.
